


For the Want of a Nail, the Kingdom was Lost

by Jueun



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, False Identity, Ficlet, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 16:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15585753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jueun/pseuds/Jueun
Summary: It's a shame Ginny didn't throw Tom's diary into Myrtle's toilet. If she had managed to, perhaps she would have survived.Luckily for Tom, it's easy for him to claw his way back to the top, and if he manages to ensnare Harry on the way, all the better.Poor Harry, if only he had wonderedwhyhe was so attracted to the Durmstrang Champion, he could have saved himself a lot of heartache and guilt.





	For the Want of a Nail, the Kingdom was Lost

**Author's Note:**

> ayyyy i prompted this on the Tomarry discord, but decided to expand it a little

Ginny hesitated when she was about to throw Tom's diary into Moaning Myrtle's toilet. Tom had been her only friend for so long, what were a few petrifications and roosters in exchange for a good friend?

This moment of weakness heralded the beginning of Voldemort's victory.

Myrtle didn’t flood the bathroom since no one threw a diary at her.

Hermione still was petrified, clenching a piece of paper that had pipes scribbled messily on it. The thing is, her petrification didn’t lead Harry and Ron to go ask Hagrid about the Chamber of Secrets opening in his year. After all, Tom Riddle had never told Harry, and Hagrid certainly wouldn’t mention it.

Harry and Ron never saw Hagrid being arrested, nor did they get told to follow the spiders. Instead, they heard through the grapevine that Dumbledore was suspended, and Hagrid was shipped to Azkaban without a trial, accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets.

Since Aragog never told Harry and Ron that the girl who died, died in a bathroom, they didn’t try to trick Lockhart into letting them go. They weren’t caught by Professor McGonagall and brought to the infirmary, where they would find the culmination of Hermione’s time in the library.

As Harry and Ron didn’t figure out what the monster was, or where it was travelling, they wouldn’t go to the staff room to tell their professors what they had discovered. Instead, the two spent their time in Gryffindor tower playing Wizarding Chess.

However, Ginny still had been taken, with her last words written in blood on a wall. _Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever._

Shortly after the rest of the teachers told Lockhart to deal with the monster, he cowardly ran off, memory intact.

Ginny's body never was found.

Hogwarts closed the next day, and the Weasley family mourned the loss of their youngest.

When Snape finished brewing the Restorative Draught, the students and ghost mentioned large, yellow eyes. Hermione told Professor McGonagall that she was sure it was a basilisk moving through the pipes of Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall convinced the Aurors to check the pipes as they searched Hogwarts, but Slytherin's monster was never found.

The Ministry of Magic released Hagrid from Azkaban deeming him not guilty, as his crime involved an Acromantula, which generally aren't known for having large yellow eyes, nor are they known for being basilisks. 

The school board was split on the permanent closing of Hogwarts. A child, a pureblood to boot, disappeared under her teachers’ noses. However, a smug Lucius Malfoy argued that his son would only be taught at the best of schools. With copious amounts of money and threats, the motion to keep the school open passed.

They hesitantly reopened the school the next year. The Dementors on the school grounds were, perhaps, overkill, but they weren’t taking any chances. The Aurors that patrolled Hogsmeade and Hogwarts hoped that the basilisk would find Sirius Black, and the two would off each other.

Fewer students roamed the halls, as worried parents pulled them from Hogwarts and enrolled them in Beauxbatons or Durmstrang.

When Fudge greeted Harry at the Leaky Cauldron, he wasn’t as pleased as he might have been. The Aurors had reported that Potter was a Parseltongue, and some thought he may have sicked the beast on his fellow students. He was still cordial, but curt, especially when Harry brought up the issue of his Aunt Marge.

The Weasleys won the lottery over the summer, but they didn’t go to Egypt. Their picture was still plastered on the front of the _Daily Prophet_ anyway, with the headline, "Grieving Family Wins Lottery!" Hermione did not send Harry that newspaper. When the year started, Ron, George, and Fred were more withdrawn than they used to be, and the twins' pranks a touch crueler than before. Ron's Boggart was Ginny's corpse, and even Draco Malfoy didn't mock him over Ginny. Hermione and Harry tried to be good friends to Ron, to support him in his time of need, but they were only thirteen.

Their friendship began to become strained when Hermione reported the Firebolt to Professor McGonagall. Then, when Ron thought Crookshanks ate Scabbers, their friendship soured even further.

Their adventure saving Sirius patched some of the distance, but their friendship certainly wasn't as strong as it was at the beginning of the year.

In Harry's fourth year, the Weasleys brought Harry to the Quidditch Cup. If Arthur Weasley was a little crueler to the Dursleys than necessary, well. Anyone who didn't treasure children were scum.

In the stands of the Quidditch Cup, there was a handsome young adult accompanying the Bulgarian Minister. “He's a close friend and classmate of Krum's,” explained Oblansk. “Vants to work for the Bulgarian Ministry vhen he graduates, and as a favor to Krum, he's shadowing me as an intern.”

When the Veelas first appeared on the stage, he was startled when Ron began to move forward and block his view of the stunning man. Harry could barely keep his eyes on the match and almost missed recording Krum’s Wronski Feint with his Omniculars.

After the match, the Death Eaters decided it was a good time to remind the Wizarding World they were among them. As Harry, Hermione, and Ron stumbled through the forest, Harry patted his pockets and realized his wand was missing. They heard a shout, “ _Morsmorde_!” and as one, they looked up at the ugly Dark Mark that marred the night sky. 

As Crouch, Diggory, Mr. Weasley, and other Ministry employees ran into the clearing, Crouch's eyes immediately focused on Harry. He accused Harry of casting the Dark Mark. After all, who else could have cast it? Harry quickly denied it, stating his wand was missing, and a simple _Accio_ proved this to be true. Crouch glared at Harry, surely thinking about how the boy was a Parseltongue. When they mentioned a deep voice shouting Morsmorde, Crouch hastily began digging through the bushes. He found an unconscious Winky, but there was no wand in her hands. As Crouch thought Barty Crouch Jr. hadn't gotten his hands on a wand, he did not give her clothes.

As Mr. Weasley escorted them back, Harry saw the striking boy from earlier standing in front of the Weasley's tent. He told Harry that he had dropped his wand in the stands, but the youth couldn't find him until now. Harry stammered his thanks and stared as the boy walked off. Harry regretted not asking for his name.

When Dumbledore announced the Triwizard tournament, Harry immediately thought of the handsome Durstrang fellow. While Durmstrang's boat rose from the Great Lake. Harry's heart began to race, and his palms grew clammy. Harry hoped _he_ was coming with Karkaroff.

To Harry's luck, one of the first students after Karkaroff was him! Harry wistfully gazed at the other teen while Karkaroff and Dumbledore greeted each other. Karkaroff introduced him as Thomas Gaunt, one of Durmstrang's most promising students. Both Harry and Dumbledore stared at him, but for different reasons entirely.

Harry tried to moon somewhat quietly over Thomas Gaunt, but both Hermione and Ron noticed, as Harry didn't have a subtle bone in his body. They didn't tease him- much.

Harry didn't pay attention to the names coming out of the cup until it was time for Durmstrang's Champion to be called. Harry perked up, to Ron and Hermione's visible amusement, as Thomas's name was announced. Watching Thomas do tasks gave Harry an excuse to stare, and perhaps feel a little less like a stalker.

Harry's delight was short-lived, as shortly after Harry was declared the fourth champion.

While Harry began the trek back to Gryffindor Tower, Thomas called out his name. “Potter, I believe you when you say you didn't put your name in the cup. Best of luck,” he said with a warm smile. Harry's face remained flushed until Ron's jealousy over the tournament ruined his good mood.

Classes were the same as usual, outside of Defense Against Dark Arts. Mad-Eye Moody regaled them with stories about his time as an Auror and sometimes surprised his students by throwing sticks or rocks at them. “If I were a dark wizard, most of you would be dead! Potter's got good reflexes, but the rest of you've got the reaction time of a slug. Don't look so offended Weasley, there's only one thing for the rest of you to learn. Constant vigilance!”

The Weighing of the Wands was simultaneously boring and stressful. Harry didn't know which was more stressful, Rita Skeeter's intrusive questions or Harry's fear of his wand's brother being outed.

Harry did perk up when Ollivander began to speak about Thomas's wand. Ollivander's silver eyes never left Thomas as he spoke, “One of Gregorovitch’s creations, yes? A rigid 13 1/2 inch yew wand containing a dragon heartstring core, I see. Not a perfect fit for you, but _close enough_. With a wand like this, you could do great things. Perhaps you already have. No wizard who wields this wand is meant for mediocrity.”


End file.
